Hot Tub Time Machine [Blu-ray] [2010] [US Import]

O.K.
The title is a bit naff, the script is a bit iffy and the time travel part of it doesnt really stand up to heavy scrutiny, but its a comedy.
Honestly, sometimes I wonder if some people need laughter tacks adding inorder to know if things are funny, I fully understand that not everyone will find it funny, but to criticise a film because it does not have enough sjkiing in it is a little beyond me, after all, who can remember the now famous "Strange adventures in middle class sports involving time travel" series, the most memorable being "stange adventures in 80s skiing" where 4 people go back in time to the 80s and spend 75 minutes skiing then falling over and people wondering why they were dressed diffrent and used boards instead of skis, hilarious, my favourite part was when the mai charactar fell over and broke his leg after getting his skis and sticks tangled. Another example in the series was "Strange adventures of Rupert bear in golfing" Where Rupert bear gets transported forward in time and gets confused for a 70s golfer because of hos trousers, he then spends the next 90 minutes missing balls, getting holes in one and having a tantrum, I was in stitches, laughing so much I nearly coughed up my spleen, the only downside of the entire series was the commentry in the the background......
Come to think of it, both these films could have been the reult of me watching sports programs whilst being under the influence..
Anyway, back to "Hot tub time machine" I didnt like the title, so avoided it for ages, but finally watched it expecting very little and was pleasantly surprised, yes I did find it funny, yes, as I said before, it has faults, but what the heck, it was a good way to spend some time and brighten up my evening.
Buy it you have a good chance of enjoying it, if you dont, then you are hard to please and should probably watch Ski Sunday or International pro celebrity golf for your laughs

No point in me telling you what the story is about as you will find that in the other reviews. In short you need to have a wicked and dry sense of humor for this movie to appreciate how funny it is. I found it excellent. You need to pick up on many one liners to appreciate the wit but if you have a wicked sense of humor you will.

It's worth it - give it a try :)

Whenever I approach a new film to review I'll have a brief look at what it's about and assess the quality of the title. Some films have titles that are worrying from the start and usually spell a disastrous film. When faced with Hot Tub Time Machine alarm bells began to ring. It wasn't that the title was bad it just seemingly explained the plot of the film and the idea sounded utterly ludicrous but was I proved wrong?

The film begins in 2010 with three friends Adam (John Cusack), Lou (Rob Corddry) and Nick (Craig Robinson) who are all living unfulfilling lives. While Adam has just split up with his latest girlfriend, Nick has an unfaithful wife and has no job satisfaction in his role at a dog spa. For Lou things are much worse, culminating in him being rushed to hospital following carbon monoxide poisoning in what is believed to be a suicide attempt. Adam and Nick decide to take Lou away to the Kodiak Valley Ski Resort, a now run down place but back in the eighties a place of fond memories for the friends. Adam brings along his nephew Jacob (Clark Duke) and soon the quartet are at their hotel with a one armed bellman Phil (Crispin Glover) to contend with and of course a hot tub outside. Having one too many drinks and enjoying the hot tub the friends accidentally knock over a Russian drink called Chernobly (I shouldn't need to tell you what reference the drink is to) and when they wake the following day from their drunken slumber it's 1986! The audience sees the friends as they are in 2010 but for everyone else they see the quartet as their younger selves except Jacob of course! Worried about inserting paradoxes into the timelines the friends have to relive their pasts precisely as the events played out in 1986 but does the temptation to change things become too much?

The opening part of Hot Tub Time Machine I found okay but not spectacular and I blame this on my worries about the film beginning with that title. Once the quartet hit 1986 the laughs begin to accelerate starting with Nick confirming they're in the eighties by asking the nearest person what colour Michael Jackson is! Reliving the past isn't especially easy. Adam recalls breaking up with Jenny (Lyndsy Fonseca) who responded by sticking a fork in his eye and, yes, Adam has to go through it again! Lou has to face the resort bully Blaine (Sebastian Stan) and take yet another beating, while Adam's sister Kelly (Collette Wolfe) conceives Jacob at this point and it is a somewhat harrowing experience for Jacob to witness his mother who loves to enjoy herself much to his disgust. Nick is the lead singer in a band which back in the eighties did a terrible gig but having to be faithful to the events Nick has sex with Tara (Jessica Pare) and weeps through the exchange, lamenting being unfaithful to his wife which he insists on explaining to Tara who loses interest, especially when Nick tells her his wife is only nine years old in 1986!

The temptation to change things in the past becomes too much for the group. While Jacob tries to keep everyone focussed on not disrupting the timelines Adam decides to take the initiative with Jenny and keep their relationship going only for her to dump him! By this point Adam has met music journalist April (Lizzy Caplan) so the audience will wonder if she's a part of his future. Lou thrives in the eighties where partying and sex are his forte, a far cry from his meaningless existence in the present. Nick rediscovers his passion for music and in one of the best moments of the film he rings up his then nine year old wife-to-be and proceeds to verbally abuse her for being unfaithful to him. Another joke which lasts the entire film is the friends' encounter with bellman Phil who has both arms in 1986 but Lou is convinced he will lose one while they are there. What follows is a series of incidents where we think Phil is about to lose that arm, be it getting his arm trapped in a lift or slipping on some ice while performing tricks with a chainsaw.

I had my doubts about Hot Tub Time Machine and the opening reels still had me worried but very quickly I settled into the film and began to enjoy it immensely. The ludicrousness of the film's title and concept seems to be addressed when Nick actually says "Hot Tub Time Machine" then looks at the camera as if he wants to roll his eyes. There are many laughs on offer here and Cusack, Corddry, Robinson and Duke are all fantastic and great fun throughout the film. Even comedy legend Chevy Chase makes an appearance as a hot tub repairman and by that point I was hooked on what is a very silly film but it never takes itself seriously or tries to be anything other than absurd.

Hot Tub Time Machine may sound too bizarre to be worth your time but you'd be making a big mistake. The film is full of good laughs and nostalgia for one's younger days when life seemed very simple. Even though the friends go about changing their pasts you'll find yourself right behind them throughout and even when inevitably melodramatic moments creep in the comedy makes a mockery of them and prevents any sentimentality. A worrying title but a very funny film.